Dirty Little Liars by Missy Lynn Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

desk to see if she could swipe some candy from the vending machines when the office clerk wasn’t looking. Luckily the grouchy woman from the night before was not working the front desk. Instead there was an older gentleman with blotchy skin and graying hair. He wore a faded striped cardigan that looked as if it had been swiped straight from the Cosby Show. A pair of silver reading glasses was perched on his nose.
    Just her luck. Juliette smiled at the sight of the man. She might be able to get some sympathy this time around.
    The chime clanged as she pulled open the door and stepped inside. He looked up from his crossword and Juliette gave a hesitant smile before surveying the small room as if this were her first time seeing it.
    “Can I help you?” he asked.
    Juliette bit her lip and pondered the question before answering. “I’m not sure,” she said finally. “I’ve been trying to get a signal here, for my cell phone, but I’m not having any luck.”
    He nodded. “I’m afraid the coverage is spotty around these parts. Of course I don’t trust the damn things anyway. They give you cancer, you know…”
    Right. Cancer.
    “You wouldn’t happen to have a landline I could borrow? My car got stuck about a mile back. The roads out there are horrible. All that flooding. Does it flood like that a lot?”
    He set the newspaper down and turned to face her in full. “We do get a lot of rain, but not like this. That sure was something, though. Those skies just opened up and wham, Noah’s Ark might not have survived that one.”
    Juliette nodded in agreement. “I know. I wouldn’t have come out in this weather at all, except my mother’s vacationing with me and she forgot her medicine. We’ve been trying to get to the pharmacy so that we can refill the prescription.”
    The man’s face collapsed with concern. “I hope she’s okay. I’ve got the diabetes, and it’s no fun.”
    Juliette nodded. She had spotted the medical alert tag on his wrist. That, combined with the open bag of sugar-free jelly beans seated behind him, tipped her off.
    “If I could just use your phone real quick, I think I might be able to call my friend to come and help us?”
    “There are phones in the rooms,” the man said, suddenly remembering his job.
    I gave myself a mental snap in the head.
    Of course there were phones in the rooms. But her room was one without power. She had just assumed that with no power the phones would be down as well. Clearly that was not the case.
    Think fast, Juliette. You need a good reason to explain why you are such a moron. When in trouble, go back to the truth. It’s less difficult to screw up.
    “Oh I’m sorry. I didn’t stay here. I just was passing by and this was the first shelter I came to. I figured you might be used to weary travelers in need of assistance.” She tilted her head slightly and gave the most pleading look she could with her brown eyes.
    His eyes met hers for a few seconds. She wasn’t certain if he was searching for truth or the courage to tell her no. So she played her trump card.
    “I’m sorry. Never mind. This was too much of an imposition. I’ll keep searching for a signal.”
    He jumped from the chair and moved around the counter.
    “No. No,” he said. “A young girl like you shouldn’t be wandering around alone.” He grabbed the heavy rotary phone and placed it on the counter in front of her.
    “Wow. I haven’t seen one of these in…” She thought about it. “Ever?”
    “I’d expect not. Do you know how to use it?”
    “I don’t have a college degree in engineering, but I think I can figure it out,” she paused. “You know what would be helpful though? A fresh cup of coffee.”
    She nodded to the mug on the counter and gave her best smile. The old man hesitated at first but then gave in. “I think that can be arranged.” He trudged off into the back room.
    Juliette waited until she was certain he was out of earshot and then pulled a piece of paper out